With the doors at Orvis Princeton now shut some Garden State anglers may be looking for a new fly shop to call home. I'm near Trenton and I can't think of any on this side of the river from just north of me down to Cape May. Maybe Atlantic City, but Bass Pro Shops isn't a fly shop. The closest would be across the river in Doylestown with Mainstream Outfitters on Route 611. That's about a 35 minute drive.
It's crazy to think all of the fly shops and all-tackle shops that had fly fishing and tying stuff that have gone by the wayside. The Fly Hatch, Down-N-Trout, Harry's, the Sportsmen Center, Efingers, Orvis (Shrewsbury, Marlton, Short Hills, and now Princeton) and Bob Kislans to name a few. There's a big gap for the New Jersey fly tier and rodder.
And remember there's that newly created Orvis Bermuda Triangle now with all the Philly stores closing. You can pick your closest store to visit and for me that's either Manhattan, Pittsburgh, or near Washington DC- there's nothing in-between. Orvis used to have stores in Plymouth Meeting, Downington, and Haverford- now all gone. The only shop I know of over there is TCO Fly Shop in Bryn Mawr.
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The closest true full service New Jersey based fly shop to me is Andrew and Nancy Moy's Tightlines in Parsippany. It has been around since 2001 and I made my first visit there (above) in 2011. It's in a great location near the intersections of Routes 46, 80, 280, and 287. For me though it's kind of a hike coming in just at 60 miles, which takes me
about an hour and fifteen minutes. I have made the drive to see their guest speakers and have made a half a day or so of it. While on the small side it's a full service shop with everything from fly tying and rods, reels, and flies, to casting instruction, guest speakers, and local guided and destination trips. They also have a place on the lower Beaverkill in East Branch which is available to rent, HERE. (Might be the next go-to Leif.)
While the fishing shows during the dead of winter are a draw you should visit Tightlines, their website and store, to check out some of the talent they have scheduled. It starts off in January and wraps up in March just in time for the Cabin Fever to have worn off. Here's the list below,
- January 17 JC Clark
- January 31 Tim Flagler
- February 14 Jonny King
- February 21 Mike Rosa (Susky smallmouth)
- February 28 Zach Flake
- March 15 Matt Rooney (NJ Stripers)
They also have had a big presence at The Fly Fishing Show's in the past. Each year the size is different I guess depending on the vibe and the anticipated return on investment. It takes a lot of time, effort, and money to attend these shows. For vendors it's not how many people Ben and Chuck claim came through the doors it's how much is in the till at the end of the weekend.
I've been creeping on The Fly Fishing Show's website to see what we can expect this January. While the map and vendor list is out for Marlborough,
we're still in a wait and see for the Edison show. It wouldn't be fair to predict who is doing Edison based on Marlborough so we'll have to wait and see when the
exhibitor list and map goes live on the Edison link.
In the end we DO still have local fly shops in the mess of a world we live in these days. Not everything has to be purchased from Amazon or on-line. We, the customers, have killed brick and mortar stores by changing the way we live and shop. It used to be an event, not it's just a click, and then a return. If you're looking to shop and need something, and not just pick through the cheap-ass bins at the show, check out the smaller local fly shops that could use your business, and loyalty. They stay in business, yes to make money, but to service you as well.